The Best (and Worst) Offline Niches

10 replies
Hey all. =)

Wondering what businesses you fellow offliners have most success with - Dentists, chiropractors, accountants etc.. and which ones you break out the garlic and crosses for...

Looking forward to your comments =)

Russell Prisco =)
#niches #offline #worst
  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    I dont know if it's so much a specific niche as it is a business type. I can't remember the name of the book off hand but recently I read there are two types of businesses. One is the type that will suck anyone dry, rip them off and laugh about how many people they are coning for cash and the second is a business that works with you gladly and pays you without any issue. I've had both types in the same niche (ugh!) However, the places I look to approach are the ones already putting money out. I call them and give honest advice and give them a tip to help them improve it (such as building an optin/list) and they ALWAYS want to talk. It is then a matter of determining if they are business type 1 or 2.

    If they want too much free advice and negotiate WAY too much on price I simply tell them take it or leave it. My time is money just as yours is.
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    I have no agenda but to help those in the same situation. This I feel will pay the bills.
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    • Profile picture of the author russellprisco
      Originally Posted by RentItNow View Post

      If they want too much free advice and negotiate WAY too much on price I simply tell them take it or leave it. My time is money just as yours is.
      Right on. I think a lot of people, myself included sometimes, forget that they're in charge and get to call the shots in their own businesses, try to please everyone and worry too much about not getting the deal when in fact, what you said is the better option. Especially since it's kind of like a takeaway which tells them that you don't need them, which is more likely to help you get more business with (not so whiny) clients in the long run.

      =)
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  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    Russell, all very true. I had two clients back in my renovation days that were just extremely high maintenance. When I calculated how much time i spent on them instead of perfectly good paying and low maintenance clients I had lost $25K in 3 months (missed a critical season by spending time on their jobs that they ended up not paying me for in the end).

    Since then I have tried to learn this. The biggest step is using "law of attraction". There is a very specific reason WHY this law is there. Our subconscious is controlling about 96% of our day to day actions and when we constantly focus it on bad, its just like telling a computer to be on the look out for bad things. And of course it complies and you pull in bad things (bad clients).

    I have a sheet I carry with me now that I read about 3 times a day (I actually look forward to reading it). Some of the lines say, "I'm meeting like minded people daily and collaborating with them. I'm teaching people how to build their businesses" And it works! I know immediately if the person in front of me is not going to be a good match and move on without thinking twice where before I would have kept at it just to make a sale to them. In other words, I've trained my subconscious to be a BS detector!

    Myself, I have tried to go after businesses I thought I would have no trouble with, but have found MANY varieties that are a better match (especially restaurants for some reason).

    Btw, you may want to check out this address as well. There is a few people focusing directly on this subject: Offline is a goldmine forum | Offline business | Offline business forum
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    I have no agenda but to help those in the same situation. This I feel will pay the bills.
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  • Profile picture of the author Keith Boisvert
    Originally Posted by russellprisco View Post

    Hey all. =)

    Wondering what businesses you fellow offliners have most success with - Dentists, chiropractors, accountants etc.. and which ones you break out the garlic and crosses for...

    Looking forward to your comments =)

    Russell Prisco =)
    Actually, I have found restaurants and salon/day spa's are my most frequent customers as of late.


    Keith
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      It varies a lot based on your own background and experience.

      When you're starting out it's best just to talk to all the business owners you know, the owners of businesses where you're spending money and the business owners your friends know.

      That should get you some paying clients and the easiest way to get hired is through referrals regardless of the business type.


      After that businesses that have higher transaction values MAY be more likely to hire you for a project but again it does depend on your background and experience.

      Industries you're familiar with and skills you have can make it easier for you to get hired by some businesses that most people would struggle with.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
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      • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
        Banned
        I'm curious what offline marketers tell their clients (who may have spent a few thousand with you) once they learn that there's virtually no web traffic for their local niche, despite dominating the search engines for their keywords.
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        • Profile picture of the author Keith Boisvert
          Originally Posted by Black Hat Cat View Post

          I'm curious what offline marketers tell their clients (who may have spent a few thousand with you) once they learn that there's virtually no web traffic for their local niche, despite dominating the search engines for their keywords.

          lol. Yup, and anyone who promises one thing(page 1, top ranking, etc) and doesn't explain the 2nd part(number of actual searches) is setting themselves up for failure.

          I for one always outline everything...including expected search results. I like to focus more on the conversion aspect and mixing strategies to drive traffic than relying only on "Search results", which can tend to be poor at best.

          keith
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        • Profile picture of the author Matt Bard
          Originally Posted by Black Hat Cat View Post

          ...there's virtually no web traffic for their local niche, despite dominating the search engines for their keywords.
          That's the problem with all of these bullsh*t marketers. They don't know how to market. They think begging Google to send you people is marketing.

          I took a niche a couple of months back that according to all of the Wordtracker, Google Keyword type tools said there was no traffic ( around 300 a month ) and played with it without the search engines.

          I wrote up a robots txt that blocked all of them then set out to build up traffic.

          After a month of working around an hour a day, I was getting over 100 uniques a day from a niche that is not supposed to have anybody in it.

          I always looked at Google as icing on the cake but most of these people in here think it's the cake, the dinner, and the whole damn date.

          Matt
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        • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
          Originally Posted by Black Hat Cat View Post

          I'm curious what offline marketers tell their clients (who may have spent a few thousand with you) once they learn that there's virtually no web traffic for their local niche, despite dominating the search engines for their keywords.
          Local clients usually have local searchers.

          I usually tell my clients that the SEO companies offering to promote them are a total waste of money, unless they want to sell nationally/internationally.

          If you put a site up for a local business you might not have any local competition - dominating Google for the term "pub in Much Marcle" will just happen if you're site is right. Try it - the top result is the only pub in the village with a website (not one of mine!)
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisnegro
    Quiznos and HVAC clients for me are pretty big. In fact, I think I maybe coming out with a product how to DOMINATE these niches. Just picked up another check today in fact.

    Success,

    Chris Negro
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